By: Ted Nugent
I’ve written extensively about my exciting lifetime of projectile management and the ever-loving mystical flight of the arrow, and all these 70 years later such passions run stronger than ever.
Say HALLELUJAH!
My daily archery/bowhunting practice sessions are serious business, certainly always outrageous fun, but quite honestly, life and death serious.
My job, moral obligation and duty as a bowhunter is to kill swiftly, so accurate shot placement is as serious as it comes.
Again, my Morrell 3D targets are set from 20 to 50 yards with my big, round National Field Archery Association Olympic bullseye target right at 60 yards. Every target has a one inch to two inch square of dayglow orange tape deadcenter on the vitals and bullseye where my very being is focused like a laser tractor beam that owns my soul every arrow launch.
My shot sequence includes a dedicated mantra of “right hand, left hand, orange square, not yet” as trigger pressure increases and I am virtually consumed with owning the airspace between me and the orange square.
The greatest archers in the world (of which I am not one) universally agree that virtual archery is a 90-99% mental game.
It is true and I agree.
My psychological obsession with the little orange square provides a matter over mind moment to definitively imprint my shot sequence in a powerfully inescapable procedure every arrow.
As I climbed aboard my deep-swamp ambush perch on the magical day of Halloween 2018, I was, to put it mildly, cocked, locked and oh so ready to rock doc!
SpiritWild VidCamDude Ethan Wiskur was equally prepared for another long evening vigil, and we were thrilled and stimulated as always with the nonstop wildlife activity that such mystical ground provides.
We experienced every imaginable indigenous wildlife throughout the evening, except for whitetail deer.
Mercy! It was Halloween day for goodness sakes, so where were the deer?
With dusk settling in all around our swampland paradise, I caught movement way off in the tangles of my puckerbrush fen. With Bushnell confirmation, the second deer was a horse of a buck trailing a randy doe heading northeast on a mission but way out there.
I barely whispered shooter as Ethan and I stealthily rose and swiveled 180’. My rangefinder found a beachball size hole at 61 yards just a few yards ahead of the duo, and within short seconds of seeing the deer I was at fulldraw weaving my 60-yard pin into the peep on my Mathews right onto that hole.
The buck’s head nosed into that small opening and I let out a pretty loud doe bleat.
By the hand of God the buck’s chest centered and halted in that hole as my auto-pilot archery brain went through a quick right hand left hand orange square moment.
The 400 grain Gold Tip was launched, arching beautifully across the expanse and then punched hard into the huge buck’s upper chest with a resounding and lovely THWACK!
And down goes Frazer!
Thank God it all unfolded so quickly, thereby not giving me any time whatsoever to think about it.
I immediately launched a second arrow which also found its mark and Ethan and I looked at each other speechless and wild-eyed at the miracle of such a long arrow shot.
The recovery of this old swamp monarch on SpiritWild video says it all with shock, dismay, joy, happiness and deep spiritual satisfaction that all my serious daily practice had paid off with such an amazing reward.
The beast was simply stunning!
At least six and half years old weighing in nearly 275 pounds, the Roman nosed swampdonkey was a hulking sight to behold and I’m certain the recovery footage will need some serious editing since the TV show recovery alone can’t go on for over an hour!
My happiness meter was pegged once again and all I can tell you is that longrange archery is a definite realty with the right hardcore, dedicated practice.
This was my 2nd Michigan open range whitetail for 2018, the first one on October 20 at 50 yards and now a Halloween beast at 60 yards.
Good grief!
Aim small miss small but practice big!
Find that exacting, infinitesimal shot sequence that pays off at various distances and practice in such a way to completely imprint it deep into your psyche and soul.
Goodluck and may your bowhunting happiness meter be pegged often.